Thursday, July 11, 2013

HISTORICAL PHOTO: Orion Aviacion Let L-410, LV-WYV

This Czech-built small airliner is a workhorse of a plane that is much more common inside the former Soviet bloc than outside. The pictured example is perhaps the only L-410 to ever have appeared on the Argentine register.

LV-WYV was originally delivered to Aeroflot in 1991 as CCCP-67673 and after several years it passed on to Orion Aviacion of Argentina. Orion operated the aircraft during 1997/98 between Concepcion del Uruguay (CDU) and Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) on a twice-daily schedule in both directions with morning and evening departures timed to suit business travelers seeking to do a day trip without overnights in either city. The concept was sound over the nearly 200-mile route but the service lasted only a short time.

This aircraft went on to fly for a couple more carriers but it ended its flying career in a crash while operating for Central American Airways of Honduras as HR-AUQ. It crashed near Cerro de Hula while flying from San Pedro Sula (SAP) to Tegucigalpa (TGU) with the loss of all 14 people on board. Cause of the crash was undetermined.

About Me

I was born in Uruguay but moved to the US when I was a young boy.
I worked for Air North and Brockway Air at Boston's Logan Airport and for Quebecair and Finnair in outside sales, the latter for 15 years.
I still have relatives in Argentina.